Emigration from Israel remains at peak levels - study
A Tel Aviv University study based on Central Bureau of Statistics data reveals that 90,922 Israelis left the country for three months or more in 2025, similar to 91,499 in 2024 and 86,509 in 2023. These numbers are at record levels, compared to an average of about 60,000 in 2010-2019. For the first time in decades, a negative migration balance was recorded in 2024-2025. The researchers emphasize that the data include only Israelis who had lived in the country for three years or more before leaving. Prof. Itai Ater expressed concern that more people, including doctors, tech workers, and academics, no longer see Israel as their home, and many are waiting for the election results.
A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers, analyzing Central Bureau of Statistics data, finds that 90,922 Israelis left the country for three months or more in 2025, continuing a trend of record emigration. This follows 91,499 in 2024 and 86,509 in 2023, compared to an annual average of about 60,000 in 2010-2019. The study, by Prof. Itai Ater, Prof. Nittai Bergman, and PhD student Doron Zamir, notes that 2024-2025 saw a negative migration balance for the first time in decades, with more people leaving than arriving. The data cover only Israelis who had lived in the country for three years or more before leaving, to avoid skewing from recent immigrants from Ukraine and Russia. Prof. Ater told Globes that the figures tell a gloomy story, fearing that more people, including doctors, tech workers, and academics, no longer see Israel as their home, and many are waiting to see what happens in the election. Prof. Alex Weinreb of the Taub Center added that the trend reflects a broader change in migration culture in Western countries like Britain, France, and the US, with educated and financially able people more likely to emigrate.